Thomson Airways 'no longer charging for oxygen'

Passengers flying with Thomson Airways can breathe easy following news that the low-cost carrier will no longer charge extra for oxygen services.

Until now, any disabled passenger requiring supplementary oxygen cylinders was forced to pay either £75 on short-haul flights or £125 on long-haul flights.

Thomson had claimed that the charges, which were introduced in May, merely allowed it to recover the cost of providing and refilling the tanks.

But after listening to customer feedback the airline has decided to axe the fees, in addition to relaxing its policy on customers carrying their own supplementary oxygen.

"I am delighted that we have been able to scrap these charges," commented Carl Gissing, Director of Customer Services for Thomson Airways. "We urge other airlines to follow suit and remove these charges to ensure that everyone has equal access to air travel."

According to the British Lung Foundation, an estimated 90,000 UK travellers require supplementary oxygen on flights each year due to conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

Recent research by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association found that less than one in four airlines provides the service free of charge, with fees running as high as £500.

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